RAPTORS CLAW CLOSER TO CELTICS

Kyle Lowry scored 23 points, C.J. Miles had 20 and the Raptors routed the Celtics 111-91 on Tuesday night, snapping Boston’s four-game winning streak.

DeMar DeRozan added 15 points as Toronto won its fifth straight home meeting over Boston, closing to within a game of the conference-leading Celtics.

Kyrie Irving returned after missing the previous three games because of a bruised right quad to score 17 points in 22 minutes.

Reserve forward Marcus Morris also returned for Boston after sitting out two games because of a bruised left hip, but the Celtics suffered their second-worst defeat of the season. Boston’s only bigger loss was a 23-point defeat at Chicago on Dec. 11.

TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS

James Harden scored 36 points, surpassing 15,000 for his career, and the Rockets beat the Nets 123-113 for their fifth straight victory. … Jonathon Simmons scored 22 of his career-high 34 points in the third quarter and the Magic overcame a 21-point deficit to beat the Cavaliers 116-98. … Joel Embiid had 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the 76ers led from start to finish in a 115-102 victory over the Wizards.

… Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 points and the Bucks beat the Knicks 103-89. Kristaps Porzingis left after he injured his left knee when crashing to the ground following a dunk with 8:46 left in the second quarter. … Dennis Schroder scored 22 points and the Hawks sent the Grizzlies to their fourth straight loss 108-82.

FOOTNOTES Lakers fined $50K by league.

The Lakers were fined $50,000 for violating the NBA’s tampering rule again. League officials made the announcement Tuesday in response to an interview team president Earvin “Magic” Johnson did with ESPN. Johnson was discussing the skills of Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo and said the Greek native would put the Bucks “on the map” and bring them an NBA title. It’s the third time in less than 12 months the Lakers have been disciplined for tampering. The team was fined $500,000 last summer after the league found general manager Rob Pelinka had been communicating with Paul George’s agent while George was with the Indiana Pacers. Previously, the NBA issued a warning to the team after Johnson winked at George during a television interview. … The NBA suspended Pistons center Willie Reed for six games without pay because of a domestic violence incident in August.